Catalysts: Championing Change
There is an aura or energy that seems to swirl around catalysts — to get you inspired or coax you to change for the better.
We have all experienced catalysts at varied stages — be it a parent, teacher or manager who has had a tremendous influence on the direction of our life. Catalysts, also known as change agents or Change activators, encourage you to take risks in life and go in pursuit of your dreams. Shunning aside limiting beliefs, they compel you to break free limits and explore opportunities for growth- be it equipping yourself with new skills, taking on a new role or improving yourself each passing day.
I have had the privilege of being molded by many catalysts in my life. As a business leader and National Director of CorporateConnections UAE Chapter, I am trying my best to be a catalyst in the lives of others. I have noticed catalysts embody certain attributes and I outline my understanding of these traits:
Processing huge chunks of information
With a powerful mind-mapping competency, catalysts are discerning at organizing huge chunks of information –astutely putting together pieces of the puzzle to demystify situations. Their strategic observational abilities and x-ray vision allow them to see through people’s behaviors and gauge their personalities.
Understand people well
A catalyst recognizes people’s strengths and weaknesses. Capitalizing on strengths, they unleash an individual’s true potential and help them overcome weaknesses. Infinite givers with an abundance mindset, they go above and beyond to help someone. This makes them selfless and effective in whatever they do.
Mentoring abilities
Heightened emotional intelligence, empathy and deep understanding of human dynamics enable catalysts to communicate in a manner to win people over. With people’s skills at fingertips, they take people under their wings and prepare them to take up bigger roles and assignments. Their words of motivation can launch a person on the trajectory of change.
Seeing possibilities and solutions
A striking quality of change agents is their multitude of ideas and depth of knowledge that give a paradigm shift of viewing situations. Helping you discover never-seen-before possibilities or solutions to initiate change, they increase your propensity to take risks and trust the leap is the right one.
Envisaging the larger picture
Catalyst let you envisage the larger-than-life picture, show you where you stand and the steps you need to take in order to reach there. Highly intuitive by nature with an eye for detail, catalysts encourage people to come out of their shell and make choices with confidence. They help you visualize and relish every step towards the attainment of your goals.
Learning and experimenting mindset
Impatient with the status quo and wanting to fast-track things, catalysts bring novel insights and know-how to implement change. They persuade you to continuously learn and test new methods to bring your efforts to fruition. Even if you fail miserably, the catalyst insists on never giving up and motivates you to keep moving forward.
In a rapidly changing world, catalysts build your resilience to accept challenges and venture into the new without fearing the consequences.
Did you have a catalyst in life that helped you change for the better? What other qualities did he/she possess?
If you think change management is critical for you, join our CorporateConnections™ Chapter to meet people that can change and elevate your orbit of influence.
CorporateConnections™ is a premiere network of business leaders for accelerating growth. Its structured collaborative environment helps you forge meaningful relationships which serve as a catalyst for a positive change.
